Court decision permits clergy members to buy or live in multiple homes tax-free

Tax Break for Clergy Questioned The U.S. Tax Court ruled that Phil Driscoll, an ordained minister and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter who went to prison for tax evasion, didn’t owe federal income taxes on $408,638 provided to him by his ministry to buy a second home on a lake near Cleveland, Tenn.

Discussion

Great! Now I can convince my church to give me more housing allowance so I can buy that home on the ocean I’ve always dreamed of!

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Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)

Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA

Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University

Blowin’ A New Mind, 1970. Nice.

Greg, I think you might need a Grammy first. Sorry. Don’t worry, though, you can probably get a house on Lake Delhi for a good deal.

Actually — this might be very good news for pastors who live in a parsonage — but have a house somewhere else that they are using as a future retirement home or a “fallback” option if they need it. One of the frustrations of having a parsonage is that when you retire (or get the boot or whatever), you don’t have a place to live, no equity, etc… This would make it far easier for pastors to plan for their future.

Dan Burrell Cornelius, NC Visit my Blog "Whirled Views" @ www.danburrell.com